| Study Title |
A32 National Psychiatric In-Patient Reporting System (NPIRS) |
| Data Owner |
Health Research Board (www.hrb.ie) |
| Description |
The National Psychiatric In-Patient Reporting System (NPIRS) provides detailed information on all admissions and discharges to in-patient psychiatric services in Ireland. Data collected include demographic data. and clinical/diagnostic information. The Hospital Census records all patients resident at midnight on 31st March of the year in question in all psychiatric in-patient facilities around the country (including psychiatric hospitals, general hospital psychiatric units, private hospitals, child and adolescent units, and the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum) on the Register of Approved Centres under the Mental Health Act 2001. All patients on the books in hospitals and units, including those on leave, are also enumerated in the census; patients who are on the books but absent on the night of census are still enumerated, but are not recorded as resident on the night. Data collected include demographic data and clinical/diagnostic information. |
| Primary Function |
Service management, monitoring and planning. The NPIRS database structure is also used as the basis for carrying out regular censuses of the in-patient population and as the basis for epidemiological research on mental illness. It is also used as the basis for calculating Performance Indicators for each HSE area on a quarterly basis. |
| Key Variables |
ID Other; Sex; DOB; County; Occupation; Labour Force Status; Marital Status |
| Themes |
Health |
| Unit Of Observation |
An individual admission or discharge to a psychiatric in-patient facility |
| Frequency |
Quarterly |
| Target Population |
An individual admission or discharge to a psychiatric in-patient facility |
| Format |
Admission and discharge files are stored separately, with admission files for a calendar year containing all admissions for the year in question and the discharge files containing all discharges for the year in question. |
| Method |
Data is collected either electronically (approximately 90%) or manually on a quarterly basis from psychiatric in-patient facilities around the country, including psychiatric hospitals, general hospital psychiatric units, private hospitals, child and adolescent units, and the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum. |
| Most Recent Publication |
2011. See:
- Health Research Board (2011) Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2010 [Annual Report]. Available at: www.hrb.ie/health-information-in-house-research/mental-health/publications/
- See also NPIRS National Bulletin 2010 and Bulletins 2010 for each HSE area. Available at same website as above. |
| Access Further Information |
Health Research Board (www.hrb.ie) |
| Notes |
All in-patient psychiatric facilities entered on the Register of Approved Centres under the Mental Health Act 2001 are included.
Response rate for quarterly data collection is 100%, unless there are exceptional unforeseen circumstances.
Data are analysed and presented in the HRB’s Annual Report, Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals, and data are rated per 100,000 total population, making them comparable with international data. |